Method for managing contents of a hierarchical data model

ABSTRACT

A graphical user interface includes at least one primary window that displays the contents of a hierarchical data model as a hierarchical tree. A secondary window is displayed which contains a subset of the contents, e.g., groupings based on search criteria, of the hierarchical data model as a flat-list. The primary window and the secondary window are displayed on a screen at the same time so that a user can see both the hierarchical relationship and specific groupings of the contents of the hierarchical data model. Several synchronization mechanisms between the primary window and the secondary window are provided. For example, a user can select an element of the flat-list in the secondary window and cause the display of the primary window to correspond to the user&#39;s selection of the element. In addition, multiple selected elements from the secondary window can be copied back to the primary window such that a common operation can be performed on the multiple selected elements.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to graphical user interfaceswhich can, for example, be used in the management of telecommunicationnetwork systems. More particularly, the present invention relates tomethods and systems for using graphical user interfaces to browsemanagement information, e.g., information regarding the structure of amanaged telecommunication network.

Graphical user interfaces are now being used instead of the traditionalcommand-oriented, man/machine language for the management oftelecommunication networks. These graphical user interfaces arecharacterized by the presentation of information in windows, as well asuser control by a pointing device such as a mouse. The operation ofthese graphical user interfaces in such an environment can be describedas "select-then-operate," i.e., a user first selects a managed objectfrom the interface and then indicates the desired operation for thatobject.

In the context of a managed telecommunication network, a graphical userinterface shows graphical representations of managed telecommunicationobjects, e.g., base station transmitters, in windows and allows theselection (highlighting) of the managed objects for use in a specifiedoperation. Managed objects, per se, are described in CCITT Rec. X.700("Management Framework for OSI") and X.701 ("OSI--Systems ManagementOverview"), the contents of which are incorporated here by reference intheir entireties. The principles for naming and identifying managedobjects are further described in CCITT Rec. X.720 ("Structure ofManagement Information. Part 1: Management Information Model"), thecontent of which is incorporated here by reference in its entirety.Actual instances of managed objects are identified by a naming attributeand structured in a naming hierarchy. The naming hierarchy is alsocalled the naming tree, e.g., FIG. 4, because it structures themanagement information by providing an "is contained in" relationshipbetween the managed objects.

Actual telecommunication network systems typically include thousands ofmanaged objects and it is extremely difficult and impractical to displayall of the managed objects simultaneously in a graphical user interface.Easy access to this information is important for management tasks likeregular maintenance, trouble shooting, and reconfiguration of thenetwork. In addition to techniques (e.g., scrolling,expanding/compressing, and listing only on a selected level) for copingwith the large number of managed objects, the present invention alsoprovides a new way of handling managed objects especially suited for,but not limited to, the above-described telecommunication application.

Graphical user interfaces built according to object oriented principlesare typically viewed as including V three components: the model, theview, and the controller. The model-view-controller (MVC) conceptoriginates from a Smalltalk class-library as described in DesignPatterns for Object-Oriented Software Development written by WolfgangPree, Addison-Wesley, 1995 and A System of Patterns written by FrankBuschmann et al., Chichester, West Sussex, John Wiley & Sons, 1996, thecontents of which are incorporated here by reference in theirentireties. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the model 101 storesapplication-specific data, e.g., a text processing application storestext characters in the model 101; a drawing application stores adescription of different graphical shapes in the model 101; and amanaged object management system stores a managed object naming tree anddata relating to the managed objects in the model 101. A view 102presents the model 101 on a display, e.g., a screen. Any number of viewsmight present the model 101 in different ways although each view 102accesses the information stored in the model 101. The controller 103handles input events such as mouse interaction and key strokes of akeyboard. The controller 103 can access the view 102 as well as themodel 101 to make changes to both the model 101 and the view 102.

Currently, navigating through and performing operations on a managedobject tree in a graphical user interface is accomplished using one oftwo different techniques. The first technique involves displaying aselected hierarchy level in a flat list, i.e., a scrollablenon-hierarchical list. The second method involves displaying a treelist, i.e., a hierarchical representation of the managed objects havingnodes and branches of nodes and having controls to expand and compressindividual levels of the tree list.

An example of the conventional flat list method can be found in the "CNAUser Guide," 1553-CRA 114 075 Uen Rev PC1 Aug. 2, 1995. With referenceto FIG. 2, this conventional flat-list method uses a non-hierarchicallist 204 to graphically depict a selected number of managed objects 205.This list 204 is normally accompanied by a text description 206 whichdescribes the selection criteria for the list 204. In addition, controls207, e.g., a menu, are provided in order to enable a user to change theselection criteria.

However, presentation of managed objects using a flat-list does notprovide the user with an overview of the hierarchical relationshipbetween the various managed objects. Knowledge of this hierarchicalrelationship is necessary to provide a unique identification of each ofthe managed objects. This problem is especially acute for flat-listscreated using display criteria other than object hierarchy, e.g., aflat-list showing all managed objects that are geographically proximateto a given managed object. For example, the geographically proximatemanaged objects may have different parent managed objects andinformation about those parent objects is necessary to provide uniqueidentities.

Current systems solve this problem by presenting the name of the parentobject(s) within the same row of the flat-list. This solution still hasthe drawback in a "select-then-operate" user interface that the parentobject(s) can not be selected, hence no operation can be performed onthose objects directly.

The tree-list method is a more intuitive technique for graphicallydepicting managed objects, because this method inherently provides anoverview of the object hierarchy to the user. An example of thetree-list method can be found in the "AXS User Guide," 1553-CRA 114 221Uen Rev PB4 Nov. 16, 1995. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the managed objecttree is presented as a list 308 where hierarchical levels are indicatedby indenting individual rows. A user can step through the hierarchy byexpanding or collapsing individual hierarchical levels by selecting afolder icon 309 at the left side of each row.

One disadvantage of the tree-list method is that it does not allow forthe grouping of managed objects together. Managed objects having somecommon criteria might nonetheless be displayed far away from each otheron the tree-list due to the fixed hierarchical arrangement in thetree-list. For example, displaying all managed objects that aregeographically proximate to a given managed object may not be possiblewithin the boundaries of a single window, because the geographicallyproximate managed objects may be separated by several rows of othermanaged objects and thus the list may be too long to be displayedwithout having to scroll through the contents of the window.

Therefore, a new technique and system for navigating through, andperforming operations on, a managed object tree in a graphical userinterface is needed to overcome the problems of both the flat-list andtree-list methods. This new technique should provide the capability toboth display the user's selected object (i.e., the managed object to beoperated on) within the context of its hierarchy and also displayrelated managed objects defined by user specified criteria.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to a graphical user interface whichincludes at least one primary window (tree browser window) whichdisplays the contents of a hierarchical data model as a hierarchicaltree. A secondary window (bucket window) is displayed which contains asubset of the contents, i.e., groupings based on search criteria, of thehierarchical data model as a flat-list. The primary window and thesecondary window are displayed on a screen at the same time so that auser can see both the hierarchical relationship and specific groupingsof the contents of the hierarchical data model.

Several synchronization mechanisms between the primary window and thesecondary window are provided. For example, a user can select an elementof the flat-list in the secondary window and cause the display of theprimary window to correspond to the user's selection of the element. Inaddition, multiple selected elements from the secondary window can becopied back to the primary window such that a common operation can beperformed on the multiple selected elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and advantages of the invention will be understood byreading the following detailed description in conjunction with thedrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block level representation of the conventionalmodel-controller-view principle;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of a conventional user interface window usingthe flat-list method;

FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of another conventional user interface windowusing the tree-list method;

FIG. 4 is a block level hierarchical representation of the structure ofa managed object tree data model, i.e., a managed object naming tree,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of a user interface window showing theelements of a bucket according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a pictorial view of a user interface window showing a treebrowser according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block level representation of an abstract level of the datamodels and view entities according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is a pictorial view of multiple user interface windows showingmultiple buckets according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a pictorial view of the main user interface window accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a pictorial view of a user interface window showing asearch/query operation according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 11 is a pictorial view of a dual display of the main user interfacewindow and a bucket window according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The various features of the invention will now be described with respectto the figures, in which like parts are identified with the samereference characters.

FIG. 4 illustrates the an exemplary managed object naming tree 450,i.e., the structure of a managed object tree data model. While theexemplary embodiments described below refer to managed objects, it willbe understood by those skilled in the art that other commonly known datatypes such as strings, directories, hierarchical database contents,class structures of an object oriented program, family trees, parsetrees, containment relationships between elements, etc., may beimplemented as elements of the naming tree of the present invention.

A managed object tree data model 716, illustrated in FIG. 7, holds thetree data which will be accessed and displayed to the user of a specificapplication. The naming tree 450 describes the logical or physicalcontainment relationships of the managed objects in the managed objecttree data model 716.

By way of example, the structure of a managed object tree data model fora telecommunication management system application is illustrated in FIG.4. The acronyms found in FIG. 4 are defined in Table 1, below.

                  TABLE I                                                         ______________________________________                                        PLMN            Public Land Mobile Network                                    BSC             Base Station Controller                                       SITE            Site                                                          DIP             Digital Path                                                  CELL            Cell                                                          TG              Transceiver Group                                             TRI             Transceiver Remote                                                            Interface                                                     EMGEM           Extension Module Group                                                        Extension Module                                              RILT            Radio Interface Line                                                          Terminal                                                      PATH            (Semipermanent) Path                                          RILCO           Radio Interface LAPD                                                          Concentrator (where LAPD is                                                   Link Access Protocol D)                                       CTSLOT          Concentrated Time Slot                                        TF              Timing Function                                               CON             Concentrator                                                  IS              Interface Switch                                              TRX             Transceiver                                                   TX              Transmitter                                                   DP              Digital Path MO                                               CF              Central Function                                              TS              Time Slot RX Receiver                                         ______________________________________                                    

In this embodiment, the root node is of type Public Land Mobile Network(PLMN) 451. The PLMN 451 node contains one child node of type BaseStation Controller (BSC) 452. The Base Station Controller (BSC) hasthree children nodes: Site (SITE) 453; Digital Path (DIP) 454; and Cell(CELL) 455. The children nodes of the SITE node 453 are TransceiverGroup (TG) 456 and Transceiver Remote Interface (TRI) 457. TG 456contains seven children nodes including Transceiver (TRX) 458. TRX 458contains three children including Receiver (RX) 459.

Before describing the particular features of an exemplary graphical userinterface according to the present invention, various terms will bediscussed as a general overview.

Referring to FIG. 5, a bucket 510 includes a bucket data model 717(shown in FIG. 7), a bucket view 511, and bucket controls 512, accordingto the above-described model-view-controller (MVC) principle. A bucketdata model 717, also called a bucket model, is a set of data, e.g., asubset of the managed object tree data model, to be displayed. Thebucket view 511 provides the needed visual representation of thecontents (i.e., managed objects 522) of the bucket data model 717 to theuser as strings, icons, or other known graphical representations. Bucketcontrols 512 are the interactive elements displayed in the bucket view511, e.g., buttons, scrollbars, etc., which permit the user to changethe contents of the bucket view 511 or indicate some other action aswill be described below. The display of the visible components of thebucket containing both the bucket view 511 and the bucket controls iscalled a bucket window 500.

As shown in FIG. 6, the tree browser 613 displays in a tree browserwindow 615, a hierarchical view of the managed object tree data model716 (shown in FIG. 7). That is, this tree browser window 615 displaysthe contents of the managed object tree data model 716 as a hierarchicaltree. Scrollbars 614 are provided for the user to scroll up and down thedisplay, since the entire tree may not fit within the available displayarea of the tree browser window 615. A data input area is provided atthe bottom of the tree browser window 615 to allow a user to enter anobject name, whereupon the tree browser 613 can search for variousinstances of that object within the tree using known techniques.

Referring now to both FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the bucket views 511 and treebrowser window 615 of the present invention are both created inaccordance with the above-described MVC concept. i.e., the visualrepresentation (view) and the actual data (model) are separated, whilethe visual representation (view) accesses the actual data (model) anddisplays its contents. Controls are provided to manipulate the view andmodel.

The present invention addresses the aforementioned problems of theexisting systems by, among other things, combining the tree-list methodwith the flat-list method. Accordingly, a tree browser window 615 isused in conjunction with a plurality of bucket windows 500. The treebrowser window 615 and the bucket windows 500 are coupled by severalsynchronization mechanisms which are described below. By combining thetree-list method with the flat-list method along with thesynchronization mechanisms, the advantages of each display method areachieved while avoiding each of the disadvantages mentioned above.

FIG. 7 illustrates the relationships between the abstract model and viewentities according to the present invention. Therein, a managed objecttree data model 716, holds the tree data which will be displayed to theuser. The tree browser 613 accesses the tree data model 716, displays inthe tree browser window 615 the objects in their stored hierarchy andallows browsing of the tree data in conjunction with the controls 614. Aplurality of bucket data models 717 hold information specificallyselected (as described in more detail below) from the tree data model,i.e., each bucket data model is a subset of the tree data model. Aplurality of bucket views 511 access the contents of their correspondingbucket data models 717 and display the content of the bucket data model717 in a bucket view 511 in a bucket window 500 allowing list-scrolling,selection (highlighting), and management operations. The visualizationmechanism used by the bucket view 511 is that of a scrollable list asopposed to the hierarchical tree structure display of the tree browserwindow 615.

The bucket data model 717 is a subset of the tree data model 716,individually created for each bucket 510. As a result, each bucket 510with an own, associated bucket view 511 is (after creation of the bucketmodel data 717) independent from the tree data model 716 and from allother buckets 510 already in existence.

However, from a logical point of view, the plurality of bucket views 511and the tree browser window 615 form a set of related views, i.e.,displaying different aspects (in different ways) of the sameinformation. The buckets 510 contain snapshots of the tree data model716 at a given time (the creation time of the bucket data models 717),while the tree browser 613 via the tree browser window 615 displays theinformation as is currently contained in the tree data model 716. Thetree browser 613 exists during the entire lifetime of the application,while the individual buckets 510 with their data models 717 and bucketviews 511 are created and destroyed on demand. In addition, bucket datamodels 717 may be saved or stored on a file system, database, or anyother type of secondary storage medium by the user for later retrieval.Further, an individual bucket 510 containing a bucket view 511 can besplit into multiple buckets 510 and multiple bucket views 511. Inaddition, buckets 510 can be merged so that multiple buckets 510 can becondensed into a single or fewer buckets.

Note that, according to the present invention, there are individualbucket data models 717 for each bucket 510 rather than having the bucket510 reference the tree data model 716. Individual bucket data models 717are advantageous since they are each independent from one another andeach bucket data model 717 can represent different results as a functionof time. In addition, a user may experience higher performance of theuser's application since each bucket data model 717 will most likely besmaller than the tree data model 716. In addition, individual bucketdata models 717 are advantageous because they allow a user to set asidea bucket 510 for later use.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the elements of abucket 510 are displayed as individual bucket windows 500 as illustratedin FIG. 8, while the tree browser window 615 is contained within aprimary window 918 as illustrated in FIG. 9. Primary window 918 alsocontains a menu bar 919, a tool bar 920, and an attribute display 921.The menu bar contains the menu functions, e.g., "File," "View," "Edit,"etc., for a specific application. The tool bar 920 contains userselectable buttons for fast and easy access to frequently usedoperations, e.g., "Find," "Print," etc. The attribute display 921 allowsthe user to view relevant information pertaining to a selected(highlighted) managed object 922 in the tree browser window 615. FIG. 11illustrates the dual display of the primary window 918 and a bucketwindow 500. Alternatively, bucket window 500 and tree browser window 615can be displayed to the user without the primary window 918.Alternatively, the tree browser window 615, the bucket windows 500, andthe attribute display 921 may each be contained in their own individualwindows. Also, any two of the above, or all three of the above displaysmay be contained in a single window. In addition, the menu bar 919 andthe tool bar 920, may each displayed as their own separate windows, orbe combined with themselves or any of the other windows which aredisplayed to the user.

Referring to FIG. 11, the tree browser window 615 and the bucket window500 interact in various ways. The first set of interactions occur when anew bucket 510 is created. Before the new bucket 510 is actuallycreated, the portion of the tree data model 716 which is copied to thebucket data model 717 is selected. The user selects (highlights) theelements, e.g., managed objects 922, in the tree browser window 615which the user wishes to place in a new bucket 510 and then selects acommand which creates a new bucket 510 and a new bucket window 500.Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 10, a new bucket 510 can becreated as the result of a search/query operation of the user accordingto specific user supplied criteria.

The above two options both include the creation of a bucket data model717 which is independent of the tree data model 716. In an exemplaryembodiment, the bucket data model 717 contains only the desired managedobjects 522, whether user selected, or as a result of a search/queryoperation. The search/query operation can be achieved by any well knownsearch technique, including boolean, keyword, and/or full text searches.In addition, a more complex search/query operation may be able to sortthe tree data model 716 into a plurality of bucket data models 717 withassociated views 511 based on certain user-defined criteria. In thecontext of a telecommunications management system, examples of searchcriteria may be for example, base stations, transmitters, location ofequipment, object type, state, software version, corresponding cell orhardware, assigned technician, etc.

Of course, one skilled in the art will recognize that a search may findno elements. In such a case, an empty or null bucket and null bucketwindow may be created which displays no managed objects and contains anempty bucket data model 717. A user may create an empty bucket and thenadd managed objects 522 by any common data entry technique including keyentry from a keyboard, mouse movement (drag-and-drop), voice commands,etc. For example, managed objects 522 from the tree browser window 615or from an existing bucket window 500 can be selected and then draggedto the empty bucket window.

As stated above, the bucket data model 717 is independent of the treedata model 716, i.e., changes in the tree data model 716 do not affectthe bucket data model 717 in any way. However, selections and changesmade in a bucket window 500 can be forwarded as selections and changesin the tree browser 613, i.e., there exists a one-way communication froma bucket 510 back to the tree browser 613. This feature of the presentinvention can be used to enhance the user's ability to navigate andoperate on objects in the tree.

For example, referring to FIGS. 5, 6, & 11, in an exemplary embodimentthe user can select (highlight) some (or all) of the managed objects 522using bucket controls 512 which are displayed in the bucket window 500,which selections can be copied back to the tree browser window 615.Thus, this exemplary embodiment allows the bucket windows 500 to serveas different selection containers which more readily allow a user tooperate on groups of objects without having to find each object in thetree browser window 615.

This selection back-copy mechanism operates as if the user has selectedthe elements directly in the tree browser window 615. By selectingmultiple managed objects 522, a single operation can then be selected toperform its task on all of the now selected managed objects 922 in thetree browser window 615 of the tree browser 613, e.g., all of theobjects in a bucket 510 could have their states changed (e.g.,operational, maintenance, or alarm state) or all of the objects in abucket 510 could be deleted from the tree. On the other hand, directlyselecting all desired managed objects 522 in the tree browser window 615might be difficult due to the possible wide distribution of the managedobjects 522 in the tree browser window 615. Using a bucket window 500 asan intermediate step for setting a selection makes it much easier toensure that all and only the elements which should be selected areselected.

Three exemplary methods of copying a selection made in a bucket window500 back to the tree browser window 615 are described below. First, theselection made in the bucket window 500 can be the exclusive selectionin the tree browser window 615. That is, the tree browser window 615will display to the user the selected managed object 922 in itsappropriate hierarchical level according to the managed object namingtree 450. Alternatively, the selection made in a bucket window 500 canbe added or subtracted to the selection(s) currently made in the treebrowser window 615.

The latter type of copying gives the user the opportunity to combinedifferent selections; i.e., from different bucket windows 500 into oneselection in the tree browser window 615. It also makes it possible toperform some selections in the tree browser window 615 directly, andthen add some selections from a bucket window 500 or multiple bucketwindows 500. In all cases, the selection(s) finally made in the treebrowser window 615 could then be used to create a new bucket window 500via the aforementioned user bucket creation mechanism.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, several treebrowser windows 615 are displayed to the user, thereby allowing the userto view different sections of the tree data model 716 at the same time.In this alternate embodiment, multiple tree browser windows 615 wouldall access the same tree data model 716. The synchronization mechanismsdescribed above would also be available to the user in this embodiment.That is, selections made in the bucket views 511 of the bucket windows500 could be copied back to one or multiple tree browser windows 615based on user preference. An operation could then be performed on someor all of the selected objects, or each tree browser window 615 could beused to display the hierarchical relationship of each selected object.

In another alternate embodiment of the present invention, if multiplemanaged objects 522 are selected, a separate tree browser window 615 isdisplayed for each of the selected managed objects 522. This embodimentwould allow the user to independently operate on multiple levels of thetree data model 716 without having to continually switch the view of asingle tree browser window 615.

In an exemplary embodiment, the managed objects 522 displayed to theuser in the bucket view 511 of the bucket window 500 are represented bytext strings. When a user selects a managed object 522 in the bucketview 511 of the bucket window 500 of a bucket 510, a text search isperformed on the managed object data model 716. When the -managed object522 is found, operations may then be performed on the managed object 522as described above.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the bucket datamodel 717 can be made up of pointers or references to the tree datamodel 716 as opposed to a static copy of the subset of the tree datamodel 716. In addition, the managed objects 522 can be text stringswhich are searched in the bucket data model 717, similarly to the textsearch described above. Alternatively, the managed objects 522 can bepointers or references to the bucket data model 717. These variousstructures create a two-way communication from the bucket 510 to thetree browser 613. In this alternate embodiment, selections and changesmade to the tree data model 716 will be reflected in the existing bucketdata model 717. In addition, selections and changes made to the existingbucket data model 717 will be reflected in the tree data model 716.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, bucket view 511 ofbucket window 500 can display the bucket data model 716 as a tree listor any other known display format. In addition, a user or theapplication can select the most appropriate bucket view 511 for thedisplay of the contents of the bucket data model. For example, if thebucket data model 717 represents a specific branch of the tree datamodel 716, the specific branch may be small enough to view all of thecontents as a tree list in a single bucket view 511.

As stated above, changes can be made to the managed objects 522contained in the managed object tree data model 716. These changes canbe made from either a tree browser window 615 or a bucket window 500.The user can modify the managed objects 522 by any common data entrytechnique including key entry from a keyboard, mouse movement(drag-and-drop), voice commands, etc.

The present invention provides a better graphical user interface forapplications such as telecommunication network management. The inventionsolves a key problem in visualizing many, e.g., thousands, of managedobjects, for example in a graphical user interface used to manage atelecommunications network. The above described embodiments allow usersto have a display of exactly those managed objects the user is currentlyworking with, and at the same time still have the overview of wherethese managed objects belong in the managed object hierarchy.

The described embodiments of interworking and synchronizing betweenthese two views ensures consistent displays and is also easilyunderstandable for the user. The invention allows the user ofapplications such as telecommunication network management to work moreefficiently since the user will always have an overview of thehierarchical relationship of managed objects in addition to the groupingof the managed objects the user is working with.

The invention has been described with reference to exemplaryembodiments. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art that it is possible to embody the invention in specific formsother than those of the exemplary embodiments described above. This maybe done without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thedescribed embodiments are merely illustrative and should not beconsidered restrictive in any way. The scope of the invention is givenby the appended claims, rather than the preceding description, and allvariations and equivalents which fall within the range of the claims areintended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A graphical user interface comprising:at leastone primary window displaying contents of a hierarchical data model as ahierarchical tree; at least one secondary window data model including atleast one subset of said contents of said hierarchical data model; atleast one secondary window displaying contents of said at least onesecondary window data model as a flat list; and means for addingcontents to said secondary window data model; wherein said at least oneprimary window and said at least one secondary window are concurrentlydisplayed; and wherein said at least one subset comprises at least twoelements each having different immediate parent nodes in saidhierarchical data model.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said primarywindow includes a tree browser and said secondary window includes abucket.
 3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:control means forexpanding and collapsing hierarchical levels of said hierarchical tree.4. The system of claim 1 wherein said graphical user interface displaysinformation pertaining to the structure of a managed telecommunicationnetwork.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein said contents of saidhierarchical data model include managed objects.
 6. The system of claim1 wherein contents of at least one secondary window are static.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein contents of at least one secondary window aredynamic.
 8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:means for copyingselections made in said at least one secondary window to saidhierarchical tree.
 9. A method of operating a graphical user interfacecomprising the steps of:displaying contents of a hierarchical data modelas a hierarchical tree in at least one primary window; simultaneouslydisplaying contents of at least one secondary window data model in atleast one secondary window as a flat list; and adding contents to saidat least one secondary window data model; wherein said at least onesubset comprises at least two elements each having different immediateparent nodes in said hierarchical data model; and wherein said at leastone secondary window data model includes at least one subset of saidcontents of said hierarchical data model.
 10. The method of claim 9wherein the steps of displaying and simultaneously displaying furthercomprise the step of:displaying information pertaining to the structureof a managed telecommunication network.
 11. The method of claim 9wherein said step of displaying said contents of said hierarchical datamodel as a hierarchical tree further comprises the step of:displaying ahierarchical list of managed objects.
 12. The method of claim 9 whereinsaid method of operating a graphical user interface further comprisesthe step of:changing said contents of said hierarchical data model viasaid at least one of said primary window or said at least one of saidsecondary window.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein said step ofsimultaneously displaying contents of said at least one secondary windowdata model further comprises the step of:keeping said at least onesecondary window data model static following said change in saidhierarchical data model.
 14. The method of claim 12 wherein said step ofsimultaneously displaying said contents of said at least one secondarywindow data model further comprises the steps of:changing said displayof said contents of said hierarchical data model in at least one primarywindow to match said changes made in said hierarchical data model. 15.The method of claim 9 wherein said method further comprises the stepsof:selecting at least one element in said at least one secondary window;and changing a display of at least one element in said at least oneprimary window to correspond to said selecting of said at least oneelement in said at least one secondary window, wherein said changing ofsaid display indicates the hierarchical location of said at least oneelement in said hierarchical data model.
 16. The method of claim 9wherein said method further comprises the steps of:selecting a pluralityof elements in said at least one secondary window; displaying separateprimary windows for each of said plurality of elements; and changingsaid displays for each of said separate primary windows such that eachof said separate primary windows indicate the hierarchical location ofeach of its respective elements in said hierarchical data model.
 17. Amethod of manipulating a display associated with a hierarchical datamodel in a graphical user interface comprising the steps of:displayingat least one element of said hierarchical data model as a hierarchicaltree in said at least one primary window; directly selecting from saiddisplay at least one element of said hierarchical data model in said atleast one primary window; creating at least one secondary window datamodel including said at least one element; displaying said at least oneelement of said at least one secondary window data model in at least onesecondary window as a flat list; and adding an additional at least oneelement to said at least one secondary window data model subsequent tothe displaying step; wherein subsequent to the adding step, saidsecondary window data model comprises at least two elements each havingdifferent immediate parent nodes in said hierarchical data model. 18.The method of claim 17 wherein said at least one element displayed insaid at least one primary window is a managed object.
 19. The method ofclaim 17 wherein said method further comprises the step of:destroyingsaid at least one secondary window and said at least one secondarywindow data model.
 20. The method of claim 17 wherein said methodfurther comprises the step of:storing said at least one secondary windowdata model in a storage medium.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein saidmethod further comprises the step of:retrieving at least one secondarywindow data model from said storage medium.
 22. A method of manipulatinga display associated with a hierarchical data model in a graphical userinterface having at least one primary window and at least one secondarywindow, said secondary window associated with a secondary window datamodel, said method comprising the steps of:displaying at least oneelement of said hierarchical data model in at least one primary window;performing a search of said hierarchical data model according tocriteria; identifying a set of elements as a result of said search;adding said set of elements to said secondary window data model; anddisplaying at least one element of said secondary window data model inan existing at least one secondary window without deleting any priorexisting elements of said secondary window data model.
 23. The method ofclaim 22 wherein said step of displaying said at least one element ofsaid secondary window data model further comprises the step ofdisplaying said at least one element as at least one flat-list in saidat least one secondary window.
 24. The method of claim 22 wherein saidset of elements is the empty set.
 25. The method of claim 22 whereinsaid set of elements includes at least one managed object.
 26. Themethod of claim 22 wherein said method further comprises the stepof:destroying said at least one secondary window and said at least onesecondary window data model.
 27. The method of claim 22 wherein saidmethod further comprises the step of:storing said at least one secondarywindow data model in a storage medium.
 28. The method of claim 27wherein said method further comprises the step of:retrieving at leastone secondary window data model from said storage medium.
 29. The methodof claim 9 wherein said primary window includes a tree browser and saidsecondary window includes a bucket.
 30. The method of claim 9 furthercomprising the steps of:selecting at least one element from a display ofsaid contents of said hierarchical data model or a display of saidcontents of said at least one secondary data model; creating another atleast one secondary window data model including said at least oneelement; and displaying contents of said another at least one secondarywindow data model in another at least one secondary window.
 31. Themethod of claim 30 wherein said step of displaying said contents of saidanother at least one secondary window data model further comprises thestep of displaying said contents as at least one flat-list in saidanother at least one secondary window.
 32. The method of claim 9 whereinsaid method further comprises the step of:changing said contents of saidat least one secondary window data model.
 33. The method of claim 32wherein said step of changing further comprises the step of:adding orremoving elements to said at least one secondary window data model via adrag-and-drop operation performed on said at least one secondary window.34. The method of claim 32 wherein said step of changing furthercomprises the step of:adding or removing elements to said at least onesecondary window model.
 35. The method of claim 32 wherein said step ofchanging further comprises the step of:editing an attribute of at leastone of said contents of said at least one secondary window data model.36. The method of claim 9 wherein said method further comprises thesteps of:selecting at least one element in said at least one secondarywindow; causing said at least one element to be selected based upon saidselection of said at least one element in said at least one primarywindow.
 37. The method of claim 36 wherein said method further comprisesthe step of:selecting another at least one element in said at least oneprimary window.
 38. The method of claim 36 wherein said method furthercomprises the step of:executing an operation which is performed on saidat least one element.
 39. The method of claim 37 wherein said methodfurther comprises the step of:executing an operation which is performedon both said at least one element and said another at least one element.40. The method of claim 9 wherein said method further comprises thesteps of:selecting at least one element in said at least one secondarywindow; and causing said at least one element to be an exclusiveselection in said at least one primary window.
 41. The method of claim 9wherein said at least one primary window includes at least one existingselection of at least one element, said method further comprising thesteps of:selecting at least one element in said at least one secondarywindow; and causing said at least one element from said selecting stepto be added to said at least one existing selection in said at least oneprimary window.
 42. The method of claim 9 wherein said at least oneprimary window includes at least one existing selection of at least oneelement, said method further comprising the steps of:selecting at leastone element in said at least one secondary window; and causing said atleast one element to be removed from said at least one existingselection in said at least one primary window.
 43. The method of claim 9wherein said contents of said hierarchical data model are displayed asicons.
 44. A method of operating a graphical user interface comprisingthe steps of:displaying contents of a hierarchical data model as ahierarchical tree in at least one primary window; creating at least onesecondary window data model; selecting at least one of said contents ofsaid hierarchical data model from said at least one primary windowsubsequent to the creating step; adding said at least one of saidcontents from said selecting step to said at least one secondary windowdata model subsequent to the selecting step; and displaying contents ofsaid secondary window data model in at least one secondary window as aflat list; wherein following the completion of the adding step, saidcontents of said secondary window data model comprises at least twoelements each having different immediate parent nodes in saidhierarchical data model.
 45. The method of claim 44 wherein said step ofcreating at least one secondary window data model creates at least onesecondary window data model without any objects.
 46. A method ofoperating a graphical user interface comprising the steps of:displayingcontents of a hierarchical data model as a hierarchical tree in at leastone primary window; and simultaneously displaying at least one subset ofsaid contents of said hierarchical data model in at least one secondarywindow; changing said contents of said hierarchical data model via saidat least one of said primary window or said at least one of saidsecondary window; wherein said at least one subset comprises at leasttwo elements each having different immediate parent nodes in saidhierarchical data model; and wherein said step of simultaneouslydisplaying said at least one subset of said contents of saidhierarchical data model further comprises the step of keeping said atleast one subset static following said change in said hierarchical datamodel.